United States Air Force Academy

Contact Information

Academic Credentials

Ph.D., Philosophy, University of South Florida, August 2000.
Dissertation title: “Honor and Honors: An Ethical Study of Military Duty and its Relationship to the Practice of Awarding Medals.”
Director: Peter A. French

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, University of South Florida, April 1989

Areas of Specialization

Professional and applied ethics (especially engineering and military ethics), ethical theory, and symbolic logic

Areas of Competence

Social and political philosophy, philosophy of science, critical thinking

Other Scholarly Work

Reviewer for that National Academies’ report, Emerging and Readily Available Technologies and National Security: A Framework for Addressing Ethical, Legal and Societal Issues, from the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) of the National Research Council, February 2013

Technical Advisor for the Anti-Corruption Education and Training initiative, an activity sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers, December 2006 to November 2008

“DoD 101” and “NORAD/NORTHCOM Bi-Command Briefing” Department of Philosophy Colloquia Series, United States Air Force Academy, CO, August 2005

“Military Ethics: A Primer,” NORAD and US Space Command Army Call, Peterson Air Force Base, CO, May 2002

Served as the External Reviewer for a Doctoral Dissertation, candidate: John Janzekovic, “Humanitarian Obligation: The Use of Military Intervention to Counter Severe Human Rights Abuses,” University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia, Spring 2001

Manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Military Ethics, Journal of Social Philosophy, and Social Philosophy Today

War, Morality and the Military Profession (PHIL 311): Took the military ethics portion of the Ethics course and expanded it to an entire semester. Used Michael Walzer’s Just and Unjust Wars as the main text.

Philosophy of Science (PHIL 330, Course Director): Surveyed the standard view of science, reactions to it, and covered social and cultural aspects of the practice of science. Other topics included the limits of scientific knowledge, pseudoscience, and ethics in science.

Applied Reasoning (PHIL 360): Covered critical thinking, informal fallacies, categorical and propositional logic, and the application of these skills to literature, current events and scholarly publication.

Physics (PHY 110 – Honors sections): I taught four blocks of instruction introducing students to basic concepts and themes in philosophy of science. Spring 2011.

Latin American Drug Trade (FAS 495L): part of a team of instructors who taught a course about various aspects of the Latin American drug trade. I taught the ethics block and contributed to the pop culture portion. Fall 2006.

Courses at the University of South Florida

Military Ethics. Covered historical overview of military ethics, just war theory, and a wide range of applied ethical dilemmas related to military life and service. I proposed, designed and implemented this course, which was new to USF. This was a Distance and Technology-Mediated Learning (DTML) class, broadcast via satellite to USF’s remote campuses.

Introduction to Philosophy. Covered Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, Kant's Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, and Mill's Utilitarianism in some detail. Although ethics was the common thread, I introduced a variety of philosophical topics as the course progressed.

Critical Thinking. Covered informal fallacies, formal logic, and critical thinking methods in the context of the investigation of paranormal claims. Placed special emphasis on reading comprehension and clear exposition of ideas in written form.

Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Mind. Teaching Assistant. Attended lectures, served as the student’s point of contact for problems, coordinated audiovisual materials, and graded essays, reflection papers and tests.

More than 20 years of service as a US Government employee. This time reflects total number of years in civil service, including 1985 – 1993, when I served as a Mechanical Engineer (up to GS-11) at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Savannah, Georgia.

More than 24 years of service in the South Carolina Army National Guard, Florida Army National Guard, and now United States Army Reserves. Lieutenant Colonel. Current assignment: Instructor, Command and General Staff Officers College (CGSOC). Military biography available upon request.

To the United States Air Force Academy:

Serve as Faculty Advisor for the USAFA Cadet Freethinkers Club since Spring 2006

Escort officer for the USAFA International Exchange Program. Took eight cadets to visit the Colombian Air Force Academy (during spring break, 2001 and 2004), involved in the Latin American Studies Group and act as host or translator for visiting delegations from time to time

Judge for the USAFA Forensics Classic, 2008-2010

To the Department of Philosophy:

Department Budget Officer, Approving Official for Government Purchase Card (GPC) and Defense Travel System (DTS) and Cost Center Manager since Fall 2003

Ethics Bowl Team Coach. Led preparation meetings and discussion periods, served as Officer Representative for the 5-cadet delegation that participated in the annual “Ethics Bowl tournament,” sponsored by the Association of Professional and Practical Ethics